On thin ice: the danger posed by thawing permafrost and how businesses need to prepare February 11, 2021 | City Talk Rapidly thawing Arctic permafrost is a prime example of how climate change is impacting natural ecosystems and, in turn, business operations. Permafrost is the name for ground that remains frozen for more than two years. It has existed in this region for millennia. Temperatures in Russia have increased by around two and a half times [...]
GameStop and the ethics of short sellers February 5, 2021 | City Talk The global media has recently been entranced by a battle between retail traders and hedge funds over the US computer game store, GameStop. It has also shone a light on a practice that makes many people feel uneasy: “short selling”. So much so that lots of members of the Reddit community which spearheaded the attack [...]
Why renewable energy could gain from the green hydrogen trend February 1, 2021 | City Talk What effect will net zero have? One of the most notable features of climate policy over the last couple of years has been the rise of national and supranational “net zero” targets. Countries and regions adopting these targets include Europe, the UK, China, South Korea, Japan, Canada, South Africa and a handful of US states. [...]
What next for Biden’s climate and social agenda? January 29, 2021 | City Talk Joe Biden ran on one of the most progressive platforms the US has ever seen, with climate ambition at its heart. His victory will result in a sea-change in US climate ambition. That said, the narrow margin of victory will pose challenges for the more ambitious elements of his agenda. Below we assess the policy [...]
Taper Tantrum 2: is there a sequel in the making? January 26, 2021 | City Talk Sequels – occasionally they’re better (The Godfather Part II), but most of the time they’re worse. Often far worse (Jaws: The Revenge). As investors and economists look for the next market risks after the pandemic, some are now expecting a follow-up to 2013’s blockbusting Taper Tantrum. This sequel could even be coming to (trading) screens [...]
How finding the quality within value was crucial in 2020 January 20, 2021 | City Talk There are two broad areas of value in the UK market, financials and commodities, that in aggregate make up around a third of the FTSE All Share index. Within this, however, there are vast differences in both quality and performance. (Please see the end of this article for a glossary of terms). 2020 was a [...]
The vaccine challenge facing emerging markets January 18, 2021 | City Talk News that effective vaccines against Covid-19 are slowly being rolled out in some parts of the world has brought the end of the corona crisis into view and buoyed investor sentiment. But we are not yet out of the woods, particularly in emerging markets (EM) where some countries are suffering renewed outbreaks of the virus. [...]
Why climate change is creating a 1929 moment January 15, 2021 | City Talk The battle against Covid-19 has been brutal, inflicting a terrible cost on society. But it will be overcome; scientific endeavour will prevail. Looking decades ahead, my greater concern is climate change. By 2050 we may find the effects of the pandemic will be dwarfed by the consequences of unchecked global warming. The future actions of [...]
Why everyone’s talking about hydrogen January 14, 2021 | City Talk What is all the excitement about? Renewable energy can and will decarbonise power generation. Renewable energy and batteries can and will decarbonise the automotive sector. But these technologies will not be as viable for aviation, shipping, commercial vehicles, steel or fertiliser manufacturing. In all of these vital industries it looks as though hydrogen will be [...]
Democrat sweep to open fiscal floodgates and boost growth January 11, 2021 | City Talk Democrats have completed a sweep of Congress following the double victory in the state of Georgia’s run-off election. The disturbing scenes of protestors storming Capitol Hill last night may have soured the victory, but nonetheless the Democrat party now have control of the Senate and the House of Representatives for the first time since 2009. [...]